On Wednesday, Reddit revealed several updates for moderators and developers, including a significant change that will disappoint proponents of an open web: the cessation of support for RSS feeds.
Reddit justifies this decision by stating that RSS has evolved into a “common surface for large-scale scraping and automated abuse,” necessitating the removal of RSS feeds from its platform.
In its announcement, which also disclosed a March 2027 shutdown date for its public API, the company acknowledged, “We know RSS has been a beloved part of the open web for a long time, and we’re grateful to everyone who used it to stay connected to Reddit.”
Reddit specified that RSS support would officially end on November 13.
RSS, an acronym for Really Simple Syndication or Rich Site Summary, is a web feed technology enabling users and applications to receive website updates in a standardized manner. This format gained considerable traction during the blogging era, providing a method to subscribe to new content from websites via news-reading applications. Google previously ran the most widely used such service, but discontinued it in 2013, opening the door for alternatives like Feedly and various independent applications.
This move to eliminate Reddit’s RSS feeds occurs as the platform’s extensive collection of user-generated content from its forums has transformed into a lucrative revenue stream through AI licensing agreements for the company.
In its second quarter, Reddit reported a 24% year-over-year increase in “other revenue” (excluding advertising), reaching $43 million. This performance explains why Reddit is reluctant to provide this valuable data without charge.
For moderators utilizing RSS channels for alerts, Reddit now advises transitioning to the Discord Relay Devvit app. The company urged moderators and their teams to assess their current configurations and migrate workflows by the November 13 shutdown to prevent interruptions. Nevertheless, Reddit confirmed there is no substitute for RSS feeds employed for content outside of a moderator’s specific community.
Moderators have previously voiced concerns regarding the potential impact of this change on their routines. When Reddit earlier suggested it was planning to discontinue RSS, numerous individuals complained that it would make managing Reddit difficult. Concurrently, many users emphasized that RSS was their preferred method for consuming Reddit’s content.
The alteration concerning RSS feeds was among several updates announced by the company on Wednesday. A further significant modification involves the termination of its public API.
Public API access is also scheduled to conclude by March 2027, affecting any tools that relied on it for programmatic interaction with Reddit conversations, such as social listening products, research tools, and AI applications like AI assistants. Currently, these assistants can leverage Reddit to answer queries, but following the cessation of public API access, they will be required to pursue commercial agreements with Reddit for its data.
Furthermore, Reddit offered updates on the Rules Hub and auto-mod enhancements, and stated it was “adding safeguards” to Old Reddit, its traditional text-centric site version. These safeguards will involve restricting access to logged-in moderators and users who have recently engaged with the platform—modifications Reddit also attributed to the necessity of combating “abusive scraping and automated traffic.”
Reddit indicated that, over the coming months, access for logged-in users will be confined to those who have accessed Old Reddit within the previous 90 days.
The company additionally advised developers creating approved third-party applications and bots to register them with the company by January 12, 2027, to prevent service interruptions. Post this deadline, Reddit will revoke API access for any unregistered developer.